


Worth the Wait

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Set in Storybrooke, Canon Divergent [29]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 17:57:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15370140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky
Summary: Regina finds a ring in Robin’s coat pocket.





	Worth the Wait

She has a dull tension headache and her feet are sore when she finally steps into the house, just after nine—but she knows it’s to be expected after a town hall meeting to discuss the new year’s budget; but when she walks into the living room, she feels it begin to fade away as a smile stretches across her lips.

The room is a disaster—a mess of blankets create something that looks like a fort and DVD cases are littered across the coffee table. Toys are strewn across the carpet and a pile of books and school supplies lay abandoned on the arm chair. Robin is on the couch, slouched down with his head tipped backward and his mouth open, with one leg propped up on the coffee table and the other looking like it didn’t quite make it there. A burp cloth hangs from his fingers and a forgotten bottle of Dimetapp sits beside him.

It’s obvious that whatever hell her day involved, it dulls in comparison to his.

“Hey,” she whispers gently, as she sits down beside him, reaching out to rub her hand against his arm. When his eyelids flutter open, she smiles again. “Why don’t you go upstairs?”

“What time is it?”

“A little after nine.”

He sighs, pulling himself upright and rubs at his eyes, trying to focus them as he looks around the room. “I’ve been asleep for over a  _half an hour_? I was supposed to be cleaning up…”

“Let me do that. You’re exhausted.” He looks back at her with groggy, but skeptical eyes and she sees that he’s about to protest. “Robin, you’ve spent an  _entire day_  with three sick kids—one of which only sleeps in three-hour intervals when she  _isn’t_  sick.”

“It’s not like you’ve had an easy day.”

“No, but explaining why metered parking is necessary is much less draining than what you’ve been doing all day—besides, no one threw up on me today.” Robin blinks a few times, before looking down at himself and sighing loudly. She can’t stifle her giggle as she watches him, somehow finding this version of him incredibly endearing. “Go upstairs. Change and take a shower. I’ll be up in a little bit.”

“Fine,” he murmurs as he slowly rises to his feet. “But only because I find the fact that I am covered in…vomit absolutely revolting.” He pauses as takes a step past her. “I owe you.”

“No you don’t,” she tells him as a grin twists onto her lips.

He smiles back at her, and she watches as he retreats. Taking a breath, she looks around—looking for her starting point. She collects the toys and returns them to the bin, disassembles the fort and piles the blankets on the couch, and hurriedly shelves the DVDs. Looking around the room, she decides that it’s good enough for now and starts toward the stairs. On her way, she grabs Henry’s backpack and tosses it to the space which it’s usually kept in the coat closet—and when she does, Robin’s coat falls from its hanger and from it tumbles a small velvet box.

She swallows hard as she bends to pick it up. Holding the box in her palm, she feels her heartbeat slow and her fingers begin to tremble as they touch the box and pull it open. Her smile is instant and bright, and suddenly tears spring to her eyes—it’s not a surprise to her that he intends on proposing, they’ve often joked about having done things backwards, teasing that it didn’t really matter because they’re practically married anyway, and always implying that it would one day be in their future, but she is taken aback by the rush of emotion seeing the ring stirs within her.

She takes a breath, letting out a little laugh as she looks down at the ring, wondering how long he’s had it and wondering what he’s waiting for. Then, once more she smiles, and wonders if he’s planning something. And though she’s not one who usually enjoys the element of surprise, she’s more than happy to wait—knowing that it’s coming and knowing that it’ll happen whenever it’s meant to happen. She closes the box and returns it to his pocket, hanging up the coat before slowly ascending the stairs, still smiling.

When she steps into the bedroom, he’s already in bed, lying atop the covers with one knee bent upward as his hooded eyes struggle to stay open. As she steps into the room, he smiles and opens his arm—and once more she feels her breath catch as she’s overwhelmed by another rush of emotion. With tears brimming in her eyes and a smile that simply won’t fade, she strides across the room and climbs into bed with him. Leaning in, she kisses him, pressing herself against him, drawing herself closer as her hand settles against his cheek. Slowly, she feels his arm wrap around her and his hand tangles in her hair as he kisses her back.

Breathlessly, she pulls back and catches her still-tingling bottom lip between her teeth as she laughs softly as his curious eyes search hers. “Not that I’m complaining,” he begins, pulling himself up and laying back on his elbows. “But, what was  _that_  for?”

“I just…I really love you,” she tells him, shrugging her shoulders as she wills her tears not to fall. She watches as he smiles back at her—his eyes so soft and loving—and she lays back against him.

Pressing his lips to her hair, he folds his arms around her. “I love you, too.”

She closes her eyes and nuzzles closer, smiling contently and knowing—proposal or not—what they have is forever and forever was well worth the wait.


End file.
